Marley Have I Loved
by storygirl1015
Summary: There are no mutants in Hollyhill, where nothing unexplained or supernatural ever happens. Marley McKinney is the last person who expects to break the norm...but when one fateful night leads to the awakening of a rare, dangerous mutation, the X-Men become her new allies, the rest of the world, her enemies. Torn, and vulnerable to dangerous foes, who will she choose to fight for?
1. Chapter 1

**Whoa, I honestly never thought I'd find myself writing for this particular community on fanfiction, but life is full of unexpected twists. Like its own epic collab fanfic in a way. Yeah…I know that was weird. Anyway, brief background; promise it won't take long. I got into X-men out of the blue back in October of 2013. Not really sure how it happened, but somehow I started reading up on one of them then decided to check out the **_**X-Men: The Movies**_** category and it all went from there really. I really love the characters and I finally feel confident enough to start a fic. **

**I plan to do at least two in time, one will focus around an OC of mine (NOT a Mary-Sue) that will have their own unique back-story and superhero origin and their life with the younger generation of X-Men (Iceman, Rogue, Pyro, Kitty, Jubilee; etc) while another story will eventually center around another OC interacting and working with the older X-men (Wolverine, Cyclops, Jean, Storm; etc).**

** There will probably be pairings for both of these, and not necessarily just the canon ones. I know which pairings are staples in this fandom, but let's just say I like to keep it unique and experiment from time to time. So no flaming because you don't like a particular couple. Any who, please remember to let me know how I do. This is my first time, and the Marvel universe is very vast, and all I kind do is try my best to represent the legacy as accurately and entertainingly as possible.**

**I don't own X-Men or any Marvel affiliated characters. I only own my OC(s).**

**Summary: **Marley McKinney is just a shy small-town girl until one party ruins her life…and changes her into something everyone fears. Newly mutant and shaken, she's recruited by Prof. Xavier who offers her a new place to call home, away from scorn. But being mutant comes with its own challenges, and with a powerful mutation that's downright deadly in the wrong hands, it's going to take courage Marley isn't even sure she has to fight for the future she didn't even know she wanted.

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**Ch.1-**Nothing Unordinary

Adolescent years aren't easy for most people. Especially when you live in a small, tight-knit community of conservative values. There wasn't the same anonymity when you made a stupid mistake that there would be if you lived in a large city of countless nameless individuals, such as New York for instance.

Here, you grew up with the same neighbors and went to school with the same kids from kindergarten on until high school graduation. You attended church devoutly ever Sunday and could pick out every face from every bake sale to carwash to blood-drive.

Marley Drew McKinney didn't know if she should be grateful for the monotony of life in their small Illinois' town, or question her resignation of the same old 'status quo' lifestyle from the 50's sitcoms her grandmother always watched. _Nothing _was strange or different here, ever.

No one talked about crazy things like rallying for political causes or forgoing adorning your Sunday best to see a pop idol perform in concert instead, like the immoral vagabonds from the big city.

And most importantly, there were certainly none of _those _people among them. And by "those people", that was to say that there were none of the people the Reverend liked to call "abominations against humanity".

But on the news, they were commonly called mutants. As far as the people of Hollyhill were concerned, that was a big city issue— the political hype and the collateral damage caused by riots centered around mutant civil rights—all the more reason to stay tucked away, safe and cozy.

Growing up, Marley had always been told to avoid venturing into the city at all costs. There was just nothing anyone respectable could want there. Nothing but injustice and temptation. At least that's what the reverend preached.

And being the preacher's daughter, she would know, wouldn't she?

It was early Saturday when Marley woke up to greet the day. Even though she didn't have any of her usual chores to do, she still had a very busy day planned. Or more like,_ Lara_ had a very busy day planned.

And she was dragging her best friends, Marley and Donna-Joe, along for the ride. Why? Because next weekend was the be-all, end-all event. The one all the kids at Gilmore High looked forward to every year for the last three years.

High school star quarterback Troy Hagan's fall house party. Only the coolest of the cool kids got invited, but everyone still buzzed with excitement from the time the invitations went out to the night of the big social fling of the year.

Normally, Marley wouldn't count herself among the lucky few that got to primp and go a little crazy for one night. But this year, it seemed like the impossible had happened. Marley's best friend Larabelle was dating Troy's best friend Keagan Moore.

And, Lara had gushed, according to the news spreading through the grapevine Troy had his eyes on Marley for some time now, and was planning to ask her out sometime leading up to or during the party. Of course, she wasn't so sure she completely believed this.

It was just so…bizarre. After all, Troy was the most popular jock in school, and with good reason. He was charismatic, had the talent to go pro in a few years, was the son of the town's mayor, an A student, and Marley had to admit, a pretty fine male specimen.

But despite her father being the well-respected preacher of the town and her mother operating her own successful catering business for the last three years, Marley was just…the banal girl who'd had the same two friends since kindergarten, fumbled through most social encounters and was known for being the straight-laced preacher's daughter who never dreamt of stepping out of line. Another words, she couldn't see where the interest would be coming from.

Sure, she'd dated someone for a while almost a year and a half ago and Marley had genuinely cared for him. They went steady for some time after he was able to acquire her father's approval, and even though they hadn't taken the next step beyond hand holding and the occasional full-length kiss, he had never pressured her into anything she felt uncomfortable with, and she had felt very grateful for that.

But it ended all too soon when his father, who was actively serving in the military was restationed to Oahu, Hawaii just weeks before they celebrated their anniversary. Yes, it had taken her quite some time to lift herself back up from that first heartbreak, with the help of her ever faithful friends of course, and positive reassurance from her mother that there were still lots of boys out there just waiting to meet her. Marley never let on that she often still experienced uncertainty that she really would find someone that would be attracted to her again.

Although now wasn't the time to feel that way, what with the perhaps once-in-a-lifetime chance to mingle with Gilmore High's upper crust students.

She met her two friends outside the entrance to the teen boutique just as they had planned, and Lara greeted her with a hug and an excited squeal, while Donna-Joe rolled her eyes at their friend's antics and squeezed Marley quickly. "Is this, like, out of this world unbelievable, or what?" Lara sighed, grabbing Marley's hand in both of hers and swinging it back and forth while grinning.

"It's definitely…unbelievable alright." Donna-Joe agreed, "I still can't believe Troy said it's ok for you to invite us." Her thoughtful expression turned to Marley and the girl blinked back at her in question, "But then, aren't you the lucky one? You're practically like the guest of honor."

Bashfully, the blond girl turned away, face flushing and her lips pulled into a pout, "Don't mock me. It's just some rumor anyway,"

"Who's mocking? I think it's so cute!" Clara once again squealed as they entered the boutique. "This could be the guy that sweeps you off your feet, Marls. And you deserve it. Ethan's been gone for a while now and I'm sure he's doing fine. He'd understand if you moved on with your life." She glanced backward briefly as she perused a rack of stylish miniskirts.

"N-no, it's not _that_, I just—"

"Stop fighting this and just go with it!" Clara interrupted firmly, holding out a denim skirt in Marley's size and glancing at the fidgeting girl's body from head to toe. "Mm-hmm…" she hummed in satisfaction. "Yup. Definitely brings out those great legs you always hide. Hurry up and go try it on," she urged, handing Marley the skirt and pushing her toward a dressing room without giving her the chance to protest.

Knowing she'd never win a fight like this, she accepted the garment with a sigh and slowly shuffled into the changing stall while shutting the door. As she unbuckled her belt and shimmied out of her pants, she thought about everything her friends had been saying about needing to get back into a relationship and what she'd do if the rumors really_ did_ turn out to be true. If Troy asked her out, would she accept? Could she?

She and Ethan agreed that maintaining a long-term relationship created a lot of strain and worry on both sides and it'd be better to part on amicable terms and see other people. But what she hadn't told him about was her apprehension that there _was_ no one else who'd date her.

She wasn't even sure how she'd gotten a nice guy like Ethan. Flirting made her feel completely out of her element and…she shuddered at the thought that some boys might expect her to 'put out' as they called it nowadays, which was definitely not something she was willing to do. A swift rapping came from the door before she heard Lara's voice, "Are you almost done in there? How's it looking? Come out so we can see already!"

Tentatively, Marley unlocked the stall door and let it creak open, peering from behind the crack. Anxiously, Lara took a step forward with D.J. not too far behind, and Marley scooted out, tugging at the hem of the miniskirt.

Lara clapped in approval and D.J. whistled as she glanced at her friend's smooth legs. "Dang girl, where'd you get all that?" she joked.

All three knew that Marley was a bit on the self-conscious side, though why she could never understand. She was thin and voluptuous; a nice height of 5'4 with a heart-shaped face and expressive hazel green eyes that frequently changed shades. In short, she definitely had the looks to be a lot more confident than she was. But that was just Marley, down to earth and reflective.

"Seriously though, you look great Marl." Donna-Joe smiled brightly. The flustered bleach blond shook her head and attempted to disappear back into the changing stall when Lara caught her wrist.

"Here, try this next." She handed her a party dress—pink, sparkly and sure to draw a certain quarterback's attention.

Marley gave her friend an incredulous look. "Why am I the only one that has to play dress up? And come on Lara, do you really think the Reverend's going to let me out of the house in any of this?"

"We're shopping for you first because we already knew you'd be the most difficult to find something for." The brunette girl explained calmly, "And as for your dad…" she trailed off and Marley felt herself shudder at the mischievous twinkle in her friend's eyes. "What he doesn't know won't hurt him, right?"

Marley reentered the stall with the dress in hand and slumped against the back wall as she sat on the small bench inside. This could _not_ be good.

* * *

_**Slow start, I know, but it's only the beginning!**_

**This first chapter explains what kind of environment Marley comes from and sets the stage to the big event leading up to the discovery of her powers. And as far as I know, there is no such place as Hollyhill, Illinois. I just wanted her to come from a small rural town where she was sheltered, and though I know Illinois also has big cities such as Chicago, Marley is sheltered and grew up in the countryside. As already hinted at, her parents are firm believers that the city is nothing but trouble. This will (maybe) be important later.**

**Unfortunately, I can't give too much more away right now, except that the X-men will come in during the next chapter or two, and that it may be quite a lot of angst in chapters to come so please be prepared. Poor Marley will have to go through a lot of horrible things before she can get to the happier moments. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok, this is where it gets good! I wanted to have the X-Men come in during this chapter, but I think it'd be better to hold off _one more chapter_. So next chapter for sure! I just didn't wanna rush anything, but I know the appearance of the X-Men is what everyone's waiting on (including me). **

**People actually followed and favorite my first chapter, and I even got a review~ Since the first chapter was pretty brief, and didn't have much purpose besides setting up the story (lol, how important is that anyway? XD *sarcasm*), I didn't think I'd be getting much attention til later, but I'm glad for what I got so far, please keep it up! Kudos to my one reviewer-thanks a bunch. Those of you who followed/favorite, please follow that example; don't just add it to your list(s), support with reviews!**

**What else while I'm on a roll? Hm...oh yeah, um, I want to include pairings later, but I'm not sure what pairings to include yet. The ones everyone uses are just so cliché, so I'll leave it open for discussion for now. I know there probably won't be extreme crack, yaoi (that's slash for you non-manga/anime readers) or yuri (female slash/lesbian again, for those who don't read manga)—unless Jean Paul comes in, cuz then that'd be canon—but I doubt it. **

** I'm just not too fond of it, so sorry! I'm thinking maybe a PyroxOCxIceman so far? Bobby's almost always paired canon, be it with a male or female, and I love him, but sometimes I wanna read something different I guess. :/ And Pyro's the bad boy type everybody's gotta love, right? lol Anyway, onward~**

**P.S. In case anyone was wondering, this takes place slightly before the first movie, so Rogue and Logan haven't arrived _yet_. Everyone else will still be there though.**

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**Ch.2-**Goodbye to Normalcy

Marley knew from the minute she stepped into Troy's house—no, the minute Lara's older brother dropped them off—that she shouldn't have come. The two-story suburban townhouse was packed with teenagers already and there was loud music playing through the front foyer.

She cringed as she watched a couple of girls she recognized from their school's cheerleading squad dancing and grinding against a boy who was trying not to spill some kind of liquid in a red plastic cup. She doubted it was apple juice.

"I think I'll just go get some air…" she mumbled, turning to the side and expecting to see Lara, only to find the brunette had already disappeared in the crowd with her boyfriend. She drew in a breath and let out a long sigh, hoping to at least spot D.J. Deciding she'd try to see if she could get a better view from the snack table, she began wading through the warm bodies clustered together as they danced to the techno blasting from the speakers. Halfway to her destination, a large hand clamped onto her shoulder and Marley barely bit back a scream as she whirled around.

"Marley?" his deep voice yelled over the music. She instantly knew who it was even before she looked into his bright gray eyes.

"Troy…?" she breathed, still just a little startled. A slow smile worked its way onto his face, and her heart gave an involuntary lurch.

"Glad you could make it," He told her, steering her towards the bar area. "You look hot tonight."

A nervous smile flitted across her face as she flushed slightly. She'd never been good at handling herself around boys, and Troy was the most popular one in school! On top of all that, he called her hot! "T-thanks, I—" he helped her into a seat at the island bar and then plopped down next to her.

An older looking boy wearing a leather jacket with a baseball cap turned backwards, winked at her as he slid two cans their way. Troy opened his and sipped from it with ease while Marley stared heavily at the cool Budweiser in her shaking hand. "What's wrong?" Troy asked after gulping another mouthful. He had to be halfway finished with his by now. "Don't you like Bud? We've got Miller Lite if you wan—"

"No, I'm fine." She unthinkingly placed both of her hands on his to stop him as he began to gesture for the older boy to get her another can. "To be honest, I don't really drink." She looked down at her lap, feeling uncool for confessing it, but glad she had stood up for herself. Reverend would _skin her alive_ if he found out she took even a sip of alcohol.

Troy looked at her for a minute and a small spark of disappoint reflected in his eyes briefly before he shrugged it away. "Hey, it's cool, alright?" He lifted her chin with his index finger and she blushed at the wide grin on his face. He was being sincere. She let out a quiet sigh of relief, glad she hadn't offended him. "I get that your pops would kill you if you went home buzzed. I only drink when my folks are out of town."

She nodded, deciding to ignore the last part of his comment. "Yeah…s-sorry." She mumbled, feeling lamer than she wanted to.

"No worries," he placed a hand in the middle of her back, "We don't have to drink to hang out anyways. But…" his eyes sparkled as they looked into hers and she felt her heart speeding up again. "You wanna dance with me?"

Marley thought about it and almost politely said no. She couldn't dance, at least not the way the kids _she'd _seen were. But he had already been so accepting about why she'd refused the beer; she felt it'd be rude to decline him twice.

Besides, it was just some harmless dancing right? "S-sure," his eyes seemed to brighten as he gently pulled her up and began leading her back the way they'd come, where she'd seen all those kids pulling those crazy moves.

The DJ had apparently just started a new song before they'd entered and everyone was getting partnered up. She looked up at Troy as best she could with their height difference and tugged his arm lightly. He leaned down so she could talk directly into his ear, "Troy, I'm not so sure I can…"

"Dance? Don't worry about it, just follow my lead," he pulled away so she could see his face and winked.

She nodded. She was good at being a follower; it came naturally. She fought bravely to ignore the butterflies and her racing heartbeat as he placed his firm hands on her waist and tugged her closer until Marley could feel his heat surging right through his jacket.

Before she knew it they were swaying in a way that was borderline "body-bumping" as her mother scornfully called it. He started to push his pelvis into hers and she nearly yelped in protest when she felt something hard on her lower stomach.

He leaned into her face and Marley swore she was about to faint, but instead of kissing her like she thought he might, he placed his lips against her ear. A large gush of air left her mouth. She was so relieved he hadn't tried to take advantage like she thought he wo—What was that?!

She shivered as something wet traced along the rim of her ear. She tried to look up into Troy's face, but with his head bent down and the room dark, it was hard to get a clear view. "T—" she started to tell him she was getting uncomfortable when he began nibbling on her earlobe.

Her anxiety died down slowly, and she felt just…the tiniest bit…excited. When she saw couples getting intimate at school, she made a point to turn her head away and focus on something else, but experiencing it for the first time was….a little surreal. Ethan had never been this forward, but that was probably because he feared her father.

They had never really even made-out; it was strictly pecks, never any tongue. "A-ah!" He bit down a little harder, sucking the tender skin into his mouth.

Marley was starting to feel strange, there was an odd quivering sensation happening in her lower stomach. She barely noticed how his hands were now drifting further up her sides, rubbing soothingly up and down as his fingertips ghosted under her shirt.

"Are you having fun yet?" he whispered huskily, Marley too much in a trance to really respond.

Her head lolled to the side and his nose ran up the curve of her smooth neck. It was when she felt him start to leave light kisses as he nibbled a path to her collarbone did she realize that she was acting strange. She couldn't let herself give in!

She lightly pushed at him and he reluctantly stepped away to look at her. There was a sad frown on his handsome face and Marley almost regretted having to stop him, until she thought of the stern face of her father, and how much he'd make her _regret_ any pleasurable experience that could possibly come from continuing. Still, it hurt to think that she kept coming across as distant to Troy every time he tried to include her. Even if he may have been a little to hands-on for her tastes.

She hated feeling like such a square and being known around school as the "goody-two shoes" or the one who "wouldn't put out". Not that she thought there was anything wrong with saving her purity until marriage; she was quite proud of herself for that and her friends had readily offered to support her despite what anyone else said. But for once she didn't want to be _the preacher's daughter_. She just wanted to be Marley.

The blond couldn't figure out why she was suddenly blinking rapidly, fighting back that familiar prickle of liquid at the edges of her vision, but when Troy sighed, about to speak, she shook her head and held up a placating hand. "No. I…I'm sorry. I'm probably the dullest, shyest, most unpopular person here. You keep trying to make me feel included and I just keep…being boring." She sniffled, even going as far as to crack a weak smile, though she focused mainly on a point above Troy's head. "Sorry. I'm just gonna…f-find my friends." She turned and skirted through the party-goers before the boy could respond.

Her face was flushed and the dam had finally broken as hot tears began to trickle down her cheeks. If possible she wanted to save the last shred of dignity and leave the party before everyone saw her bawling and realized what a loser she was. '_That was so embarrassing! Now everybody at school's gonna know what a social retard I am!' _

She looked at the fairy-lighted floor through blurred eyes as she tried to spot the cute layered frock dress she knew Lara had arrived in or the canary yellow of D.J.'s cap-sleeved blouse. It took a moment of deep breathing to try calming down, but she finally saw D.J. talking to a girl that was in their homeroom.

Marley tried to dart over to them, but three kids, two boys and one girl, the latter of the three complaining loudly about there being no latex-free condoms in the house blocked her path.

When the frantic blond tried speaking above the music to let them know she needed to get by, the girl, who seemed to be not only wasted but high, turned and gave her a hard shove to the chest. "Stay outta this bitch! We're talkin'." One of the boys laughed as Marley tried to catch her balance and fell back against an expensive lamp that hit the floor with a splintering crash.

A few nearby partiers looked up in curiosity, though no one made an immediate move to help her up from where she landed. '_That's it! Never again. For as long as I live, I don't even want to hear the word _party_.' _Marley lifted her throbbing hand to her face to see that a nice-sized shard from the lamp had sliced it open.

Despite her best efforts, the longer she felt everyone's eyes trained on her, the harder it got to control the erratic hiccups and fresh tears.

"…Marley?" She looked up at the sound of her name, but currently it was nearly impossible to see anything. She could only make out that the voice was male, and sounded vaguely familiar. She noticed everyone had gotten quieter and figured they had decided to leave her; there was a crunch as someone made their way to her and then a careful hand on her arm.

"Oh man…here, I'll help you." She was silent as the stranger lifted her to her feet with little difficulty and then handed her a tissue while pressing something thicker to her bleeding palm. After she had the chance to dab her eyes, Marley blinked and focused on her rescuer, gasping when she stared right into familiar brown eyes.

"Z-Zander?"

"The one and only." The boy smiled at her as he steered her toward what she soon recognized as the kitchen. Luckily, it was currently unoccupied as he guided her to the same bar she'd sat at with Troy not eve thirty minutes earlier.

She turned to stare at him as he darted around, getting ice from the freezer and a plastic zip-lock bag to put it in. She hadn't seen Zander for…almost six years. Well, not up close. They went to the same school of course, so she saw him in passing between classes.

He was still lean, but he had now filled out more than she remembered, and seemed to have gained more height. He wore a sleeveless red _AC/DC_ shirt that exposed his taught arms, the tattoos etched up and down both arms on display for the world to see.

He had rips that looked less than accidental in both legs of his jeans with a studded belt that hung loosely from his hips and his black hair was as wild as always. When he turned back to face her, she eyed the shiny silver lip ring and the quarter sized holes from the gage earrings he wore. "You've…changed." She whispered as he straddled a chair and carefully took her injured hand.

He grinned, the same care-free grin she grew up with. "You haven't. Still need me to babysit you." She took the jab in stride and watched him disinfect the cut with some peroxide before wrapping it with heavy white taping.

When he was done he glanced up at her, only to find her studying him thoughtfully. "You're better at this than I would have thought…"

He sighed, letting her hand go and shoving the bag of ice at her. "Use this if it still hurts. And yeah, you get good at fixing yourself up when you're always getting scraped up in fights." She nodded, not willing to press into _that _topic any further. He leaned back against the counter and eyed her warily as they remained in an awkward silence, "So what are_ you_ doing here, princess? Last I checked this wasn't the kind of get together daddy would approve of."

Marley delicately pushed some of her now wilting curls from her eyes and looked at him, "He doesn't know." she said simply.

He raised a brow, obviously y a bit surprised, "Going through a rebellious phase?"

"Hardly." She rolled her eyes, "I'm here because of Lara and D.J. Mostly Lara though. She's been looking forward to this since forever and expected me to come."

"You still don't know how to say no, huh?" he laughed. "Same old Marls, alright." Zander sighed.

"What about you, mister?" she stood and poked him in the center of his chest. "_You're_ the one that's not the same." She was teasing slightly, but a part of her really did mean it.

"Marls, you know the story. We don't have to talk about this after all this time,"

"No, I know the _rumors_, Zander. I was just as in the dark as anyone, and we've practically known each other since diapers! I mean sure, I know, you've always kind of been rebellious. But…did you…did you really do all the things they said you did?"

Zander studied her quietly, looking into her pitiful green eyes that just begged him to refute everything, the same eyes that told him she still wanted a reason to believe in him. It was hard, because deep down, even if he didn't give a damn what anyone else thought or said, Marley had always stood by him and the last thing he'd wanted to do was let her down.

He ruffled her shiny blond hair, and she stared at him curiously. "It's complicated. But it's in the past now. I wanna know what the hell made you think you could hang with the rave scene?"

Marley looked indignant as she let out a large breath, "I _told_ you already, I did it for—"

"Yeah—for your friends. You always put everyone else first. Don't you know that's gonna come back to bite you in the ass one day?" The shade of her apple green eyes changed to a dark olive so fast it was almost alarming.

He almost missed it when she let out a low mutter, "It already has…" He didn't have to think hard to know what she meant.

Her dad never did like him; he made it pretty obvious. Even before he got into trouble, the Reverend thought he was bad news. Probably because he thought he'd go down the same road as his old man, the abusive town drunk. Said he was a troublemaker and the kind of no good boy that would grow into a criminal of a man. And maybe he was right. Who was he to deny he'd done some fucked up things?

It all started six years ago…everything caught up with him and he wasn't strong enough to fight it anymore. The years of abuse at the hands of his alcoholic dad, and his mom committing suicide right in front of him, after she couldn't take it anymore made him crack. By the time his father was arrested it was too late.

He was moved into a foster home and had to switch schools. That was the turning point when he really went over the edge. He started hanging out with a group of kids that all had records for everything from grand theft auto to arson and armed robbery and vandalism. He did just about every horrible thing imaginable and lost track of how many times he went to juvie.

Even though they didn't live next door anymore, it was a small town, and when Marley saw him, she made it a point to flash him a sunny smile, treat him like nothing had changed. She was trying to encourage him in her own way but he knew that she was too nice a girl to get involved in his problems. So he shut her out.

When they started high school, he moved in with a new family that was closer to his old neighborhood and started attending Gilmore. But he still hung out with the stoners and flunkies. He watched her from a safe distance though, just to see if she was doing okay. He was satisfied that she had two friends that seemed pretty reliable that could support her in his place.

Then, he'd heard that Troy was going to throw his big party, just like every other year before. But this one was supposed to be the wildest one yet, since it was his senior year. He didn't expect to see Marley, wide-eyed and naïve as ever, wondering around through the high, drunk and flat up strung out partiers. There was the rumor going around that Troy made a bet with his football buddies…he had to try to seduce the school's goody-two shoes.

Sleep with her and then take her panties as a souvenir. Just to prove he could get any girl he wanted to "give it up" if he pressured them enough. He hadn't paid much attention to it at first. Until he found out it was the preacher's daughter… He normally came to these parties to get wasted but he made it a point to stay sober enough to look for bouncing blond hair.

And he found her. He wanted to shake the hell out of her, scream at her for being so stupid. But he knew he didn't have the right, and it'd all be pointless anyway. There was no way Marley knew or else she wouldn't have come. "Look, I'm sorry. I was going through a lot and—"

"I don't wanna here it." She frowned, backing away from him. "You knew you could come to me for anything, but you pushed me away. We were supposed to be best friends…"

"You don't understand, Marls—"

"I understand perfectly. You didn't trust me enough to confide in me. Is that it? You thought I'd run and tell daddy and we'd burn you at the stake? My dad may have not liked some of the choices you made, but he made a vow to God. He would've tried to help—"

Now it was Zander's turn to be frustrated, "What do you know? Daddy's sheltered little princess." He practically spat. "I learned early on what trusting adults got you." He narrowed his eyes, and for just a moment she looked unsure. "A kick in the ribs, a punch in the face, a whipping to the back with a belt that's so bad you pass out from blood loss."

"Zander…" she looked at him tenderly and reached for his arm, but he smacked her hand away on reflex.

"Leave me the hell alone, Marley! For once, just stay out of it!"

"What if I don't want to, what if I want to help you, even if you think you don't need it?" she countered hotly. He saw a fire in his eyes he'd seldom seen in the past. She wasn't backing down.

"Stop fucking butting into my life where you don't fucking belong. God, once a pain in the ass, always a pain in the ass."

He glared angrily when she stepped closer, eyes teary, and raised his hand, growling. She flinched away, eyes wide. "What the fuck is going on?" Zander's hand instantly lowered; the cold fury that had gripped him suddenly gone.

Marley looked stricken as she glanced around him at the figure lividly watching them, "Troy!" The football jock stormed into the kitchen, several of his teammates sauntering in after him.

"Marley, I've been looking everywhere for you after you ran off. Are you okay? What were you doing with this asshole?" Marley glanced nervously to her childhood friend, unsure of what to say.

"W-we…were just talking."

"Bullshit. Looked like he was about to hit you from where I was standing."

"Maybe your eyes were playing tricks on you." Zander mumbled coldly, his body practically bristling when the muscle bound dickwad got closer to Marley.

"Shut up! I know what the hell I saw." He made a point to seize Marley's injured hand and pull her tightly to him.

"O-ow…Troy I—"

"Let her go." Zander growled, his voice gruff and throaty.

"Punk, who's gonna make me? I think you're the one that needs to leave. C'mon Marley, I'll take you somewhere quiet." He began to guide her from the room, but Zander was there, squeezing his shoulder before he could take two steps.

"Hey man, what's your problem?" one of Troy's friends spat.

"Get your hands off him, stoner." Another barked.

"Oh, you wanna go, is that it?" Troy sneered, letting Marley's hand go and ushering her to step back. She watched, feeling like her heart was strung as tightly as an over-tuned instrument. "You picked the wrong guy this time, junkie." He rolled up his sleeves, flexing his impressive biceps, but Zander stood firm. "Get back Marley; shouldn't take long, but better safe than sorry."

"Wait, you don't have to do this!" Marley tried to reason weakly as one of Troy's teammates guided her back by the shoulder.

It was useless; no one heard her as the two boys stared each other down, and Troy suddenly threw a swing, Zander dodging it before moving in to counter. Everyone began cheering and whooping, but Marley shrunk back, shaking.

She'd always had a deep aversion to unnecessary violence. She watched them dizzily as they took turns trading blows and occasionally landing hits when someone missed a chance to block. Then, somehow, there was blood, and it felt like her whole world stopped.

Now, Zander was on top of Troy, blood dripping steadily from a cut on his face as he stared down at the jock with fierce eyes. His fingers wrapped themselves around his muscular neck and squeezed. Marley watched the football player desperately struggle to pry Zander's fingers off, his face losing color.

Everyone seemed to be in a state of shock, because no one was moving. Marley decided she couldn't take it anymore. "S-Stop it! That's enough!" She threw herself at Zander and somehow, with pure adrenaline coursing through her veins, managed to dislodge him. The only problem…In his blind rage, as soon as he got up, Troy attacked again, and this time, Marley was caught in the crossfire. The sickening crack seemed to echo as everyone in the room shared a breath. Gingerly, Marley touched her throbbing jaw.

The pain was horrible, it felt like her teeth had been knocked loose, and she could taste the heady, metallic twang of blood on her tongue. "I…Marley I…" She heard Troy scramble for words. And she felt a strong grip on her forearm steady her.

"Marley!" She looked up, barely registering seeing Lara come scrambling towards her, D.J. not far behind. The first expression when she saw her timid blond friend was shock, followed swiftly by anger as she turned accusing eyes to the two boys around her. "Troy, you asshole!"

There was a dull smack as Lara channeled her anger into slapping Troy in the face before hissing to ward off anyone who came to close as she and Donna Joe slowly helped their friend to her feet. "We're leaving. Now, move!" she growled, daring anyone to disobey. Troy awkwardly scrambled back, his eyes huge. The curious partiers parted like the Red Sea when they saw just how livid Larabelle was.

Marley kept her head bowed low in shame, ignoring the murmurs and the weighty feeling of eyes burning into her from all sides. She could've sworn she heard someone call her name, but Lara was already tugging her to the front door and she didn't have the energy or the will to look back.

"I'm so sorry…oh my gosh, your jaw. We better get something to put on that." Marley peered into Lara's face, startled to see her eyes looking reddened and her perfectly applied mascara smeared in the porch's light.

"Lara…"

"It's nothing," she shook her head, her voice cracking, "Let's just…go."

Stirred into silence, Marley didn't have the courage to do anything but nod. D.J. linked arms with her and they trudged down the front steps, toward the sidewalk packed with flashy SUVs and sports cars. The thumping music could be heard all the way down the block, so Marley figured the party would still be going strong, despite the drama that had broken out.

But now, she had a bigger problem…How was she supposed to hide this from her father? And what would she do come Monday, when everyone was bound to know about everything at school. _'My life is over.' _Inside, she felt empty, but she was too exhausted to even shed a tear.

"So, when's your brother getting back?" D.J. asked slowly as she eyed the streets for the beat-up Mustang Lara's brother was so proud of. Lara looked up from quietly studying her shiny new acrylics, her eyes glistening faintly.

"Soon, I think." No sooner had the words left her mouth than a set of bright head beams illuminated the road, as the girls watched their ride tearing toward them. The old Mustang stopped in front of them with an eerie screech of tires and by the way it looked like Craig's head could barely stay upright, they could tell he'd been hanging with "that crowd" again. Lara frowned, edging toward the passenger seat.

"Craig, what the hell did you do this time?" Marley couldn't remember the last time her friend's voice sounded so weak and tired. Her heart ached for Lara, the strong, upbeat one who was as fierce as a mother bear when it came to her friends.

Marley watched Craig's head loll onto the steering wheel, a muffled response and the guttural groan of a serious migraine the only other sounds he made. Lara sighed, not believing her brother had decided to go and get wasted tonight of all if everything in her life wasn't crashing down already. "Craig, gimme your keys…I'm driving. There's no way you can in this state."

It seemed to barely register as Craig's head remained planted against the steering wheel, but then he swiped at the ignition without looking up, flailing—and missing—a few times before his hand numbly locked around the key and he twisted to kill the engine. Lara examined her brother when she walked to his side of the car to help him out, and she knew it was only going to keep getting worse.

She may have stretched the truth to her parents about where she was going, but Craig _had_ agreed to be the chauffeur; if only to have an excuse to hang behind the abandoned movie theater with his new buddies. If he came home trashed, her parents would be more than a little suspicious. He'd been acting strange enough as it was lately, and besides Craig and a few of his good "buddies" only Lara, Marley and D.J. knew why.

He'd been getting high on heroine for the past six months now. He didn't _always_ do it, or at least that's what he told his sister. Just when he needed a _release_, he called it. Lara had tried to hold it together, pretend it was all okay…Her brother was doing one of his stupid things to rebel against adult oppression. That was okay, he did stupid things all the time…But this time was different.

Craig didn't ease off like he said he would, he only seemed to get worse. Now, when Marley saw him, it wasn't without a paranoid glint in his eyes and a caged aura. Like a tiger taken from the wild and put in a tiny cage at the zoo.

She Larabelle was doing her best to stay strong, caught between wanting to help her brother work through it, and give in to all the other things going on. Like the news that her parents were headed towards divorce.

Marley quietly slid in the back alongside D.J. as Lara finished buckling her brother in and tilting his head back and to the side to avoid choking, should he feel the need to…vomit. She cringed, remembering back to the beer Troy had offered her.

That party was out of hand when you were sober; anything could've happened if she'd gotten drunk before Lara and D.J. could find her. She started the engine and took a long, shaky breath as the car purred to life. "You okay?" D.J. whispered, pulling some Kleenex from her purse and passing them to the front.

"Eh? Oh, y-yeah…yeah. I will be." Lara gave them her normal contagious grin in the mirror, though it was hard to catch in the dark. Craig shifted to get comfortable and put his dusty combat boots up on the dashboard.

"How 'as uh par'y?" he slurred, rubbing a hand across his face.

Marley grimaced, Lara frowned and D.J. shrugged.

"Alright,"

"Kind of…dull."

"Nothing much."

There was silence as Craig's addled brain slowly registered the news, and he seemed especially thoughtful for a drunk as he replied, "Uh, thass weird…Troy nor'ally throws _waay_ be'er parties thah that. I shoulda gone…"

Lara sighed as they pulled off from the curb. "I think you had enough fun tonight without going to Troy's party…"

"Eh… 'as alright…scored some pot." He grinned lazily and shook a small bag filled with crushed white powder, before stuffing it inside his jacket pocket and folding his arms behind his head.

Marley blinked, trying to ignore the discomfort with how casually he talked about recreational drug use. Sure, everyone seemed to know all about it; she was practically the only one out of the loop, it seemed. But her friends and family, they assured her it wasn't a bad thing.

"Craig!" Lara hissed, and for a minute, Marley thought she really would blow. "Don't you get it, don't you even _care_ anymore?" They were out of Troy's fancy neighborhood and out on the highway now, headed down Highway 28. Troy's house was in the upper-crust of Hollyhill, a little further out from town than most people were used to for a commute.

D.J.'s house was the closest at almost thirty minutes away, and Marley's the furthest, probably almost an hour. The Reverend would _kill her_—no, he'd probably do worse and make her _wish _he would kill her—if he knew she'd lied about going to a lock-in even at the local roller rink (which wasn't scheduled for another week) to attend an unsupervised house party an hour away.

"Chill…" Craig murmured, his head rolling off to the side as he stared emptily out the window. "Mom and Dad would trip enough if they knew. So you gotta keep this between us, Lara. I mean it." He then glanced back at D.J. and Marley's stone blank faces to send them a serious look. "Marley, D.J. tha' means you too."

"Yeah…" D.J. answered uncomfortably. Marley knew she didn't want to be an active participant in Craig's deception to his parents anymore than she or Lara did.

But if it was for Lara…then she could muster up the courage to keep quiet just this once. Craig was twenty-one, so he could handle it. At least she thought so. Marley nodded hesitantly.

"Craig, this is wrong and you know it."

Lara, I said—"

"_Look out_!" Marley didn't know who screamed first. It didn't really matter. Faster than anyone could react, a silver pickup truck came speeding toward them, cutting across the divider from the opposite side of the road.

Everything moved like in an old-time movie. There was no sound, and all she could make out was the blinding white light of the truck's head beams blaring at them. She vaguely registered the impact. And then, it was like her world sped up again, and suddenly, she was hyperventilating in the backseat of a mangled car, gazing frantically at the other passengers. No one said a word, no one moved. For some reason, Marley got the sickening feeling it wasn't just because they were in shock.

"L-Lara…D.J.? Craig…?" Her voice was barely a squeak. She peeked over the edge of the backseat and almost threw up. The car was…destroyed.

And her friends were…oh God, they were… She could barely tell where human flesh stopped and metal began. Lara's body was grotesquely mashed against the steering wheel in a way that couldn't be natural. Amazingly, the horn was somehow still working, and she vaguely realized, blaring, as her friend's head continued to press down on it.

The wind shield was shattered. Craig was half in his seat and half crushed into the front end from his shoulders up. Afraid, Marley looked beside her. D.J.! Someone _had_ to be ok! It wasn't just her, was it? She wished in that moment she'd never looked.

Then she wouldn't have seen one of her best friend's with her head hanging limp, neck obviously broken with bones protruding. This couldn't be happening…how was this happening? This was supposed to be the one night she let go…and this happened. It didn't register until she heard yelling outside the car that there was a heavy smoke filling the air.

That's when she noticed the hood was on fire. She watched as Craig's upper half was slowly consumed by flames. And yet, she couldn't even flinch to help him, even as she watched his arms, head and upper chest burning before her like a human torch.

"Hey! Hey! Anybody in there? Can you hear me? Are you okay?!" Someone was yelling. Someone was there to help. But Marley couldn't even begin to make her mouth form words. "HEY! HEY!" They kept screaming, louder. She felt the car rock slightly and decided they must be trying to find a way to pry the door open.

Wailing sirens filled the air a few seconds later—or it could've been minutes, she had no concept of time anymore. The fire station, the police, the paramedics, curious onlookers…Everyone was gathered at the scene. Paramedics and two firemen were trying to put out the fire and save Craig at the same time.

They brought out the Jaws of Life and slowly pried the car open from the back, on D.J.'s side, since it was impossible to get in from the front. Paramedics swarmed around the doors like a hive of wasps the minute they could get to them. Everything in the world was going slower than an old time movie, yet faster than the speed of light. Colors. Voices. Faces. Everything was beginning to meld together.

She barely felt it when someone lightly touched her shoulder, barely heard the gasp. Suddenly, there were officers on her side, shining a flashlight into her face and staring at her with hard eyes.

Much harder than you'd normally look at someone who was the victim of a horrible car accident. "What the hell...?" The younger officer grunted.

She blinked at them, too numb to feel anything, even with the adrenaline coursing through her veins the shock had her temporarily sedated from pain, fear, reality.

"Look at her hands! What the hell _is_ that?" She registered that they meant her, and when she looked down, and saw her pale, trembling hands, they were encased in some kind of liquid. Clear and curved in, like a protective shell. In fact, it wasn't just her hands, her whole body, save for her neck up, was behind the liquid shell.

When it sank in, what she was seeing, how absolutely terrified she felt, she knew that if the officers were seeing it, there reaction probably wasn't something going to be she wanted to witness. For the second time that night, Marley wished with all her heart she wasn't right.

"She's a mutant. Take her in."

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**Finished! Oh-boy...sorry if that last part was half-baked. I really hope it made sense...but to kind of clarify. Marley was the only one known to survive (thus far) the accident, when she should've been crushed or severely injured. And it had something to do with her mutation, which will be expanded upon next chapter, along with the arrival of the X-Men! Whoot~! Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, the X-Men finally appear. I'm so excited~ In my opinion this is where the story really picks up for several reasons, though you have to read to see what I mean. ;) I hope more of you will read/review etc. Those who have put this on their favorite/follow lists but haven't reviewed yet, please do so. It'd really help a lot. **

**If you have any comments/suggestions, I'd be willing to hear some of them. Oh, and to the guest reviewer(s) who asked if there will be BobbyxRogue, I'm not sure yet (though a lot of you seem to like that pair). If I follow canon events, then they'll be together at some point, but if I decide to continue past the first movie, then there may be a twist… They'll both probably end up paired with somebody…but, BobbyxRogue is everywhere. So I'm still undecided about pairings, but there'll be time for that later on. For now, please review.**

* * *

**Ch.3-**Extraordinary Strangers

The police station was freezing, and Marley clutched the thin shawl she'd thrown over her party dress tighter.

She sheepishly peered into the one-sided mirror that made up the front wall and saw the appearance of a pathetic looking girl with tangled blond hair, eyes darkened by ruined mascara, a badly swollen jaw, and gauze taped across the long gash on her forehead.

Her eyes were full of terror and shock. She'd probably never looked worse… She looked up when the door opened and one of the police officers that "brought her in" stepped through the door, followed by an imposing man with sharp features, dark hair swept neatly to the side and a sullen scowl.

"Ms. McKinney?" the officer glanced down at the chart they'd filled out after questioning her when she first arrived.

"Y-yes, sir?" Marley barely recognized her own voice in the quiet echo of the interrogation room. The combination of her painful jaw, the cold temperature and her nerves made her sound croaky and hard to hear.

Nevertheless, the man in the beige overcoat took a seat at the table across from her, and stared at her analytically. She felt the need to flinch away but she did her best not to move.

His eyes were stern just like the Reverend's. The eyes that said it was impossible to get away with lying to them. It felt like if she took even one step out of line, she'd be punished.

"Since you're a minor, we've contacted your parents, and they should be here soon. But they said they'd like you to cooperate with us in the meantime. Can you do that?"

She nodded slowly, holding herself a little tighter. "That's good. This is Detective Bailes. He'll be the one asking you the questions." The officer motioned to the man who had yet to say anything, and Marley cautiously met his gaze, nodding. He didn't return it.

"I'd like to get right to it then. Ms. McKinney, I understand that you were involved in the accident that took place tonight?"

She bravely met his eyes, but just barely. "Yes, sir…"

"As a passenger?"

"Yes."

"And where were you headed?"

The tears suddenly came back at full force, and Marley shakily lifted an arm to wipe them away hastily. "Home…" she croaked.

"From?"

She bit her lip, hesitating. But she'd seen enough of those criminal investigation shows to know better than to lie when they asked the first time. Then when they found out the truth, they could charge her with withholding information. "A…a party."

He raised a brow, either not believing it or suspicious she was doing something illegal. "At nearly one in the morning?"

"It…I didn't mean to stay so long…I just—" She desperately fought back the tears trying to resurface, even as they slowly trickled down her puffy cheeks.

"I'm a father of two teenagers, Ms. McKinney, and I know I certainly wouldn't be consenting for them to go to an unsupervised event like that. I can assume your parents didn't know?"

"N-no, sir. They didn't know…"

He drummed his fingers a few times and leaned in to the table. His gaze cut right through her, and she felt cold for a completely different reason. "Did you know you're the only one to survive the accident without serious injury? Craig Weston suffered severe burns and is in critical condition. Donna Joe Palmer was pronounced dead on the scene, she suffered from a broken neck and a splintered skull. And Larabelle Weston is currently in a medically induced coma while her injuries are treated. She's also in critical condition. You somehow managed to escape with a slight concussion and an external head abrasion. Not including your jaw, which you told officers was injured shortly before the accident."

Marley blinked, feeling nauseous, fighting down the bile. Detective Bailes continued, "Was anyone in the vehicle drinking or under the influence of any kind of illegal substance at the time of the incident?"

She closed her eyes and tried to pretend this was all a nightmare. She'd wake up and meet up with Lara and D.J. for school. Or they'd go to the mall. Talk about their plans after graduation. Anything. Anything was better than dealing with this reality. That she was alone. That her friends were…

"I asked you a question Ms. McKinney." Detective Bailes pressed impatiently.

Marley didn't even try to hide the sobs, or wipe away the torrent of tears. It felt like her throat was clotting with the swell of grief. She didn't think she'd ever felt so much pain before. Her jaw not even included.

She kept her hands clenched tightly under the table and nodded her head. The pain in her jaw was throbbing unbearably. "Y-yes. Craig was…had been smoking again. He…when he came to pick us up, Lara switched places with him."

"And do you know where he got the drugs?"

"No." Her voice was pitiful as she broke down in sobs, "No…" she cradled her head in both hands and broke down. She cried for her friends. She cried for her family. She cried for the way her life had spun out of control in a matter of hours.

She continued to cry and the officers didn't try to stop her. She didn't pay attention when the door opened and another set of footsteps entered. What did it matter? It was probably just another officer come to make her feel like a criminal.

"Marley." She recognized that voice.

Oh! As if her life couldn't get worse. Slowly, she peered through her fingers to look at the hands tightly clasped together on the table.

She stared dazedly at the gold wedding band on the left ring finger and swallowed as much as her swollen throat would allow.

"Marley Drew McKinney, you look at me." Reluctantly, she glanced up, until she met the Reverend's unreadable face. She could see his jaw tighten as he clenched his teeth, and then his deep Adam's apple bob as he opened his mouth to speak. "I cannot begin to describe how deeply disappointed I am in you." He started in his low rumble. "You lied to us, you deliberately defied us, and you nearly got yourself killed. Your mother nearly had a stroke when she found out what happened to you. We got the news about the wreck…and we thought the worst."

All she could do was nod at everything he said. She already knew. She knew all of it was true, that she had sinned by lying to her parents. That sinners were punished, and it seemed her friends had paid somehow for her lie.

Detective Bailes stepped forward, on one side of her father, as stone faced as ever. "Sir, I was asking your daughter some questions before you got here. Now, because it seems the other driver was at fault for this accident, and there was no alcohol or drugs in her system, she won't be charged. But I suggest this be a lesson, unless she wants to end up spending the night in a cramped cell at the juvenile correctional department."

Marley watched her father's eyes darken as he met the detective's gaze, then, glanced at her. "You don't have to worry. My daughter won't be going _anywhere_ for a very long time." He pinned her with a look that told her it was only the beginning.

She wasn't out of the woods. Not even close. Her father came to lift her by her arm and she stood, almost falling forward as she caught her balance.

He steadied her and began to lead her out of the interrogation room, to the front desk, where he'd need to sign her release papers. "Sir, before you go. I have one more question, but I was waiting until you arrived to ask."

"Yes, and what would that be?" her father's tone was clipped, and Marley knew it was because he was struggling to remain calm. She wondered if her mother and younger brother were outside the room waiting.

She couldn't imagine them leaving Tucker home by himself, and her mother would definitely want to come if she heard her daughter was at a police station being held for questioning.

She watched Detective Bailes carefully as he studied her father's face, then her. His eyes seemed to be analyzing her all over again, and he frowned as he looked into her eyes. Her heart was thumping wildly for a reason she couldn't explain. She had a feeling something catastrophic was about to happen.

"How long has your daughter been a mutant?"

That question. That one question resounded in the room what felt like a million times over. Marley felt blood rushing to her head and the nausea returning full force. She spared a glance, just a peek, at her father, and she saw the way his eyes had grown large and glassy. His face looked considerably paler than a few seconds ago.

"What are you saying? My _daughter_ isn't one of_ them_." His voice was cold, more fearsome than she had ever heard it.

Detective Bailes stood his ground, and Marley couldn't help but think if there was ever a time for this man to know the meaning of 'pushing people too far' now would be it. He was about to head into very dangerous territory.

"Police officers who were there on the scene gave a very detailed report of what they witnessed. Your daughter clearly used some kind of mutant power to escape injury."

Marley's head spun and she broke away from her father's grip just in time to keel over and empty the contents of her stomach on the linoleum floor. The officer by the door yelled into the hall for someone to bring a mop, and her father looked down at her in disgust, but said nothing as he seized her arm again.

"Detective, your officers must have been mistaken." He looked at the gauze on her forehead and his resolve seemed to tighten. "She_ was_ injured. The only thing that protected her from death was the power of the Lord. My daughter is not one of those agents of Satan. We are good Christianly, God-fearing folk, and in this town, we don't levy those kinds of accusations against our neighbors." His grip on her arm tightened almost painfully as he glared at the detective. "We're leaving Marley."

She followed obediently as he led the way. In the waiting room, her mother waited in a hard chair with exhausted, but anxious eyes, Tucker leaning against her with his eyes barely open groggily. Mrs. McKinney gasped, her hands flying to her mouth when she caught sight of Marley.

She turned and gently jostled Tucker, who sat up and rubbed his eyes, staring questioningly in his sister's direction. "Marley Drew—I...we'll talk about this at home." She stood, hugging her daughter firmly. Marley nodded, wanting it all to be over. Even if that meant being grounded for the next two years until she graduated high school.

Mama, I'm so sorry," Marley cried, feeling the tears coming again as she leaned into her mother's shoulder.

"Excuse me," She stiffened when she heard that all too familiar voice, trying to huddle closer into her mother for comfort.

"Yes, Detective? Is there something else we can help you with?" her father asked curtly, making it clear he was running out of patience. Marley drew back, trying to hide from the detective's gaze. The man didn't answer as he reached for something at his waist. His gun holster!

Her mother gasped, pulling her brother closer and her father stepped slightly back, shielding his family. "What—" The question died on her father's lips as the shot rang out through the station. There was a scream, and Marley didn't know if it was her or her mother.

What she did know, was that bullet should have struck her. It was obvious he'd been aiming toward her, after all. But for some reason, she didn't fall to the ground, choking on her own blood.

She was still standing, albeit on shaky legs. And what's more, the bullet was suspended…encased in a watery shield of sorts that completely protected her this time, head included.

Feeling suddenly off-balance she swayed, falling hard on her knees, panting. She had managed to convince herself what had happened after the accident was her mind, in shock and suffering from extreme exhaustion, playing tricks on her. Even if the odds of two police officers simultaneously sharing the same hallucination were slim, she held on to hope.

After all, the water had evaporated in thin air before they'd even put her in the car! She kept her eyes focused on the floor, not willing to see the expressions of the people in the room.

"What was…" she heard her mother mumble, but the ever daunting detective cut in.

"As I've stated before, and as you've just witnessed, your daughter is a mutant. As required by state law, all mutants are to be detained for a period of at least forty-eight hours and charged to the state's Mutant Rehabilitation Facility. You'll need to sign the proper paperwork—"

"Now wait just a minute!" her father protested. "What you're telling me is my daughter's one of those abominations, and not only that, I should just sign something willy-nilly, not even knowing what it does to my rights?!"

"Sir, I think the evidence presented in front of you, being what it is, is enough for you to comply. If you wish to avoid any further legal penalty, that is. Not handing over a proven mutant to at least be registered in Illinois's MRF is a federal crime."

"Daddy," she breathed, turning pleading eyes to her father in a desperate plea. If he loved her, he wouldn't just let them haul her off. No matter how much he despised mutants, she was still his daughter, right? He met her gaze and her throat clenched to the point of it being hard to breathe.

His eyes were hard with hatred. And they were directed at her, "So, it's come to this…an abomination, living right under our noses."

Marley shook her head, terrified. For some reason, that stupid water shield was still protecting her, isolating her from everyone else. That barrier could never be more symbolic of just how truly alone she felt at the moment. How could _she _be everything she'd been taught to despise and fear?

How could she go from the quiet preacher's daughter to loathed abomination in one night? How could life become such a hell? The bubble-like shell she was encased in seemed thin enough, but if it had stopped the full impact of a bullet at close range, then it was definitely denser than normal water.

"Daddy…please, it's me. I'm me…" she choked on every syllable, trying to convey the urgency and desperateness. They had to understand she didn't want this. There was no way she was a mutant…even if there was no other logical explanation. She had already lost so much that night, now she faced losing her family.

Instead of calming him down, her words seemed to have the opposite effect on the Reverend. His brows pinched and his jaw tightened, his face growing red, "No child of mine…" he drew in a breath, his anger bubbling over. "No child of _mine_ is a mutant. I don't know where the daughter _I_ raised is, but this girl is of the devil's seed."

Marley shook her head vehemently, her vision almost completely blurred by tears. Her heart was shattering all over again. She reached a feeble hand out, but no one moved to comfort her. "Mama…mama, please!" She turned begging green eyes to her mother, who held her brother clutched protectively to her bosom. "Please tell him. Please!" What she saw in her mother's eyes wasn't the warmth and comfort she'd always known them to have, but deep terror and a glint of disgust.

Yet, there was no denying the actual sadness she saw in those hazel eyes. Even though Heather McKinney didn't go any closer, even if she detested mutants as much as her husband, just like everyone else in their small town, her heart tore in two at the thought of losing a child. Her first born child and her only daughter. "My baby…" Marley heard her say, sniffling. "…My baby is a monster."

Those words felt like a hundred tons of bricks had been plunged straight into her chest, where they settled painfully, dragging her down.

"Marley Drew McKinney," she heard a nearby officer say as two more entered, approaching her with guns drawn. "You're under arrest for attempted crimes against humanity." An older officer she recognized from the scene of the crash said. "Release the shield."

Struggling to process what was happening, she glanced wildly around the room, eyes wide and fearful as they met each person's gaze.

Her father had her mother and brother wrapped protectively in his arms, staring at her like she was public enemy number one. The shield flickered, bursting into tiny water droplets that remained suspended before disappearing in midair.

She was too exhausted to maintain it any longer, and the police seized the opportunity to close in. She screamed in protest and terror, but it didn't stop them from slamming her onto her stomach and clanking the heavy handcuffs to her wrists behind her back.

They patted her down, and she squirmed in a vain attempt to block out the violation of her person, tears making her already damp cheek stick to the hard tiled floors. She had never felt so degraded or so unwanted.

She vaguely thought of Zander. Did people treat him like this? She was hauled to her feet in a bruising grip, two officers flanking her on either side.

Crying silently, she tried to turn as they guided her from the room, her eyes soulless as she stared back at her family for what was probably the last time. Her mother's eyes looked misted, but her father's eyes were unreadable. It certainly didn't seem like he was too concerned.

Marley understood in that moment just how deeply his hatred ran. It was almost alive inside him like a seed of destruction. It tainted his thoughts and didn't leave room for anything but bitterness. There would be no reasoning through that thick cloud of enmity.

As for Tucker, he looked rightfully scared, and understandably confused. He was only a little boy after all. Nearly six years younger, and he'd been taught all his life— just like her— to fear what couldn't be explained. To shun what was unnatural.

Until that day, Marley would have never dreamed that ostracism she'd been raised not to question would be turned on her. She stared behind her for as long as she could as she was practically dragged through the door, her heart slamming into her ribcage in a brutal collision when she caught the last word her father mouthed.

"_Murderer."_

* * *

Compared to the holding cell at the MRF, the interrogation room could have been the Hilton. It was cold, with just a small bench to sit on and a bucket in the corner where she was supposed to…relieve herself.

She sat on the cement floor curled in a tight ball, shivering, not necessarily from the external cold, but the numbing chill she felt on the inside.

In a matter of hours her life had gone from simple and inconspicuous to a nightmare she wouldn't wish on her worst enemy. She had lost everything.

The only reason she wasn't still bawling was because her tears had literally shriveled up an hour earlier. They just wouldn't come out. But that didn't mean the pressure building up behind her eyes went away.

No, she may not have been able to cry, but she still had the sensation of forcibly holding in tears. And because she couldn't seem to cry them, the pressure was starting to give her a headache.

She mentally berated herself, thinking she would have been all cried out anyway and tired of doing this to herself. Every few seconds not spent on silently agonizing over her own fate was spent grieving for her lost friends.

In her parents' eyes, she was the cause for the accident. God's way of punishing her for being a mutant; only_ she_ wasn't the one who'd died or been seriously hurt. And that only made the guilt that much worse, because _it should have been her_.

She knew that's what Lara and D.J.'s families would think, if that's what her own family believed. If Marley couldn't trust herself to be her last remaining ally, then there really was no more hope for her.

'_I'm going to rot either here or in prison._' She reminded herself, mentally bracing for the inevitable. _'It doesn't matter at this point. If I could die now, if I could just drop dead, it'd be so much better.' _If she could just convince herself it wasn't worth caring about anymore, numb herself to all emotions, then maybe whatever happened to her from this point on would be survivable.

"_**I believe I can offer you a better alternative." **_Her head shot up in panic, the unfamiliar voice ringing in her ears.

That was just what she needed, to be going insane at a time like this!

"_**Your mental state may be fragile at the moment, but I can assure you this is no head trick. I want to help you, Marley."**_

Tottering on weak legs she stood up, slamming herself back against the wall and ignoring the way the stone dug into her back. _'I'm going crazy, I'm going crazy!'_

She had to be. What other explanation was there? Her subconscious had never sounded like a sophisticated British gentleman before.

_'Does being a mutant make you lose your mind? Is that why everyone hates them so much, they're prone to insanity?'_ She still hadn't fully accepted being the "M" word. But, there had to be _something_ wrong with her otherwise she would have never been in this situation.

"_**Being a mutant makes a person no more susceptible to insanity than any other number of factors. And you are not cursed my dear. You are among the gifted." **_Marley decided if she was going to lose her mind she could play along with this mystery entity inside her head for a while.

"Yes, because a gift this incredible should be shared with the world. A gift that gets my best friends killed and injured…a gift that causes my family to hate me. If it weren't for my _gift_, I wouldn't _be_ here." she hissed quietly.

The voice was quiet for a moment, and Marley mistakenly thought she had managed to rid herself of it. But only a little while later it returned. _**"I'm terribly sorry for the pain and suffering the losses of your friends as well as the misunderstanding of your family have caused you."**_ The voice sounded oddly sincere. As if it truly did know her pain. _**"But please believe me when I say that I truly want to help. You are not the only one with gifts they can't control, who has been shunned for them Marley. There are many others like you, those who feel like they have nowhere to turn. I offer them a chance to find a place they are welcome, where their talents can be nurtured and they can find acceptance among those like them." **_

'_As if such a place really exists,' _She drew in a long breath. '_Mutants are considered abominations the world over._' That was one thing she could understand the Reverend about. He wasn't alone in his anti-mutant sentiment. They may have not had the kinds of "big city" problems with mutant rights in Hollyhill, but she saw it all the time on the news.

People holding signs and screaming in front of the White House for this law or that law either for or against mutants. People fighting with the police during demonstration rallies that had gotten out of hand, smoke grenades launched into the crowd as a deterrent.

Politicians having spirited debates during campaigning seasons about the growing "mutant issue" as it was often called and talking about the bills they would try to pass if they were elected. It never ended. It was one of the many reasons she didn't often watch the news. That, and the Reverend's policy had always been that the only word you needed to follow was the word of God.

_**"But not here. All mutants are welcomed. I can assure you that your gifts as well would be embraced."**_

"Right. A place that would accept a disgrace like me…" her words came out rough and bitter as Marley swiped at her still puffy eyes. "And just where would _that_ be?"

"Xavier's Institute for Higher Learning," She wasn't sure what kind of answer she expected, but it certainly wasn't for the voice to come from right in front of her. She gaped at the three people standing in the threshold of her holding cell, two women and a man. When had they gotten there?

The man, bald and in a wheelchair, gave her a twinkling smile that reached his eyes. "Hello, my dear. I'm Prof. Charles Xavier."

* * *

**This chapter was probably the most exciting and yet most angsty yet. I was so tempted to stop it before the older X-Men arrived, but I figured you folks had been patient enough.**

**Marley's been disowned, and the X-Men have offered her a place, but it's not going to be that easy for her to just forget...She DID technically just lose all her family and friends, after all.**

**And...curious about her powers? Well, in my opinion they're pretty awesome if not a little simple. Element manipulation. She's a water mutant and, like Bobby she has total control and manipulation over her element, that includes being able to create water from thin air, AND manipulate existing liquid, like a cup of water or maybe something bigger...? We'll see~ Her powers also goes farther than that, but if I give anymore away I'll spoil all the fun... ;)**

**Next chapter, she arrives at the Institute and meets some new faces. **


End file.
